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The Gods
Once long ago, before even time, a single entity took shape in the void. Known as the Source, from this being sprang magic itself. In her loneliness, she created a companion, and so time came into being. Together, they created and sired a host of gods and goddesses who helped them craft a world for themselves out of the darkness in which they had been formed. In the early days, many were the battles and wars waged by the young deities over their creations until the Source and her companion determined that it would best for each deity to claim one aspect of the world for themselves. It would be theirs alone to craft as they saw fit, and no god would venture to trespass upon another for fear of the swift justice to be meted out by the whole of the Pantheon in retaliation. And so, each of the gods claimed a part of the world for themselves: the Source claimed magic since she was its very life in the universe; the Forebearer, who had fathered many of the gods, chose time itself; and so each of the gods in turn made their choice and peace was once more established. Still, the gods were unhappy. Their works required something sentient to both worship and be grateful for all that the gods had created in the fine land of Ga’leah. So, the gods joined together to create the Fae, a beautiful race of long-lived creatures with an inherent ability for magic. For a time, they were pleased with their creations and their creations were, in turn, grateful to the gods for all they had been given. But as time passed, the Fae grew jealous of the gods and enamored with their own magic. It was not long before the Fae determined that they no longer needed the gods…and peace became a distant memory After a great war, the victorious Pantheon interred the Fae in a newly created void where they would never again be allowed to enjoy the beauty of Ga’leah or the favor of the gods. Instead, the Pantheon crafted a new race of creatures to worship and revere them…man. This time, the Pantheon learned from their mistakes. They gave humanity a much shorter life span and no inherent ability to use magic. Like children, humanity would always be dependent upon the gods, and so the Pantheon was pleased. The gods themselves are ruled by the Counsel of Twelve, a counsel of the twelve original gods of Ga’leah who make decisions that affect all of existence. The Source herself is not a part of the Counsel and takes part only in matters of debate or stalemate. Though there are only twelve gods on the Pantheon’s Counsel, there are many other smaller, younger, or less powerful deities within the land of Ga’leah, each with their own purpose and desires. The gods and goddesses of Ga’leah are many and varied. Some appear similar to humans or the Fae, while others have strange appearances that they must conceal when they walk amongst humanity. Most maintain a rather youthful appearance, although some prefer to appear older and wiser or younger and more innocent to appeal to their human followers. The gods are the most powerful creatures in the world. Their grasp of magic is absolute and their power, until recently, was infinite. However, to keep the peace, each god took a mastery that would be only theirs and could not be encroached upon by another. If another god were to be caught dealing in matters of the heart by the Matchmaker, for instance, she could take her grievance to the Counsel of Twelve and great would be the punishment of the trespasser. Only once has this error been made. As her punishment, the goddess in question was stripped of her deity and cast down to Ga’leah to live among their creations in shame. While some of the gods of Ga’leah spend a great deal of time among humanity, many more remained aloof and distant on their mountain home until it’s terrible destruction. This distance from humanity has left much of the Pantheon completely ignorant of their own creation and often results in unforeseen reaction to their magic. In many instances, a curse meant to be a punishment to an offending human has resulted in the creation of a monster with abilities and grievances that the god in question would have never anticipated. To the same end, some ‘gifts’ bestowed by the gods upon their most loyal followers have actually resulted in their absolute misery and loss of faith. When the Blight came to Caelum, the mountaintop home of the gods, the Counsel of Twelve fled the destruction. In the mayhem one of the greatest among them was left behind. The Source was believed to have remained in her home on Caelum when the sweeping darkness came. Caelum is now seemingly impossible to access and those who remained on Caelum are believed lost. As the power of the Pantheon flickers and fades, many of the gods fear that the destruction of the Source could lead to the loss of magic not just to the gods but to all of Ga’leah. Or, perhaps worse…the destruction of the world itself. Category:Species